This year’s fine-tuned music lineup for the Hudson Hot Air Affair is just cold, and cool, and even red-hot. Ice, Ice Baby. Rockin’ With The Coldies has everything from country that’s classic and current, rock that’s hard and softer and southern, gospel and piano and party music, jazz and glitz and funk, and dueling DJs.

With the theme being Rockin’ With The Coldies, there’s a lot to roll out at the Hudson Hot Air Affair, hopping to it at the barrel, pouring it on in the township, bookin’ in Burkhardt and at Big Guys, doing the jig at Ziggy’s, or opting for The Olive. The longtime hot air ballooning festival, held each winter, is Feb. 2-4.
The following is what’s being laid down for music at the affair’s sponsoring and partnering venues. And for more on what they have in store this weekend, including what’s happening at other clubs who offer more and other than tuneage tones, as in added to-dos, see another followup post coming soon.
Deejay music can be found at Dick’s Bar and Grill on both Friday and Saturday, with a mix that’s high on urban styles from their big box booth in the southeast corner of the dance floor and including some newer tunes that you don’t always hear, going beyond the typical fare. Smilin’ Moose Lodge Bar and Grill also chimes in with such dance music, and blends in other styles in its position as drawing in the most dancers at any Hudson venue, with a lot of young blood venturing in from the Twin Cities.
Nectarous is a bluesy hard rock band, “new fashioned” for the next generation of headbangers, from Minneapolis that is a favorite at the Hop ‘N’ Barrel Brewing Company, and has also played at prominent venues such as the Turf Club. The four-piece formed four years ago hits the tap room with torrid dark hair on Saturday night, swinging and moshing with music from Van Halen and Greta Van Fleet and also idols Led Zeppelin too, and many more. They get going early at 6 p.m.
The same night at the Empourium in the town of Hudson it’s the Firewater Gospel Choir that often features by far the most members of most any local band, with many instruments beyond the same-old, same-old and deep and rich vocals that remind this writer of the old school rock band Clutch.
Ziggy’s Live Music Bar and Restaurant, however, is the king of Hudson tunes, and they bring their own fire to the mix with the Firewater Rebels acoustic show on Thursday at 9 p.m., with Tim Grady on singalong piano, both slow and up-tempo, starting three hours earlier, and then on at 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with more piano at that time on Sunday. The versatile and decades-long classics band 8 Foot 4 — and you guessed it they are a foursome, as a power trio would be 6 Foot 3 — is on Friday night. Lipstick and Dynamite plays Saturday night, bringing a flash of showmanship, starting with their leading lady, and a bit of goofiness to their hits from the ’70s to today.
Big Guys BBQ Roadhouse north of town has bands on both Friday and Saturday night, taking you south with the Short on Cash Band, with not necessarily Johnny but classic rock and rockabilly from lots of both men and women, and then the rock of the quadruple-guitar Southern Express with multiple songs from all the icons, including 14 on the set list from Lynyrd Skynyrd alone, and some other lone covers.
Trek just to the east to the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt for Fogpilot, a high-energy party and variety band that boasts five of five stars on Friday, and Blue Dream, a similarly acclaimed early ’70s tribute band on Saturday. Both shows start at 8 p.m.
Urban Olive and Vine also has music both nights. Jazz Savvy is a trio that’s been a favorite for years here, and will be playing during the Friday torchlight parade, from 6-8:30 p.m. Empire Night is Tatiana Calderon and John Ryan, featuring both guitar and keyboards. “We cover a very wide range of music you know, but may not hear covered from other performers, current pop, folk and country, favorite ’90s songs, and fun campy ’60s and ’70s songs everyone will enjoy,” they say.